Marked
by herm1on3
Summary: After the war, Hogwarts students want to focus on living the lives they've always wanted. They want to become boyfriends, girlfriends and Hogwarts graduates... but all that is put on the back burner until after their eighteenth birthday, where they will be marked either a dominant or submissive. With their new marks they must navigate the adult world and be their true selves.
1. Summary

**AU: Chronologically the same as canon- Harry defeated the Dark Lord at Hogwarts in the April of 1997 and the war events happened as canon. Draco fought with the light side for most of the war, but did consciously choose to go with his parents after the unveiling of Harry's "death". This story takes place in a universe where people are dubbed either a Dom or a sub on their eighteenth birthday- long enough after they've been an "of age" wizard to know how they feel in the world. Obviously given the content this story will rate relatively highly, but I'm hoping to keep a nice balance of plot and smut. This story takes place in the July before the eighth year starts; everyone will be going back to Hogwarts! Let's go and see how we go! I hope you enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 1

_July 30__th __1999- Harry Potter's birthday eve. _

Harry woke with a start, rubbing his wrist as the dull pain ached through his tendons. He knew it was because tomorrow was the day of marking, and his body was reminding him of that fact. As if he could forget, being the youngest of the golden trio- he was the last person to receive his mark and he was shivering with anticipation.

After Voldemort's defeat, the focus had turned from saving the world to living his life to the fullest. Harry, more than anyone, had seen how fragile life could be. After the incident at his fictitious Kings Cross with Dumbledore, Harry had found himself fighting to be the best wizard, friend and family member that he could be.

Harry sat up in his bed in Grimmauld place and reached over to the bedside table to grab his glasses. Putting them on his face and aligning them so they sat right, he realised that the pain in his wrist was decreased significantly. Soft mid-morning light was streaming through the navy shades that he had put over the window. Grimmauld place had changed significantly since the war, Harry had taken it upon himself to renovate the house so it didn't bear any resemblance to the house that it had been.

Gone was the Black family tapestry and the shrieking portrait of Walburga. Gone was the dust and the dirt and the grime. Harry had put up new wall-paper and curtains over the windows, making sure to give it a homely feel- and homely it felt.

Harry had decided not to live with the Weasley's especially given how he felt for Ginny. He was grateful for everything that they had done for him over the years, but he needed to create a life for himself now that the war was over. The first few days had been lonely, until Hermione came to his door in the middle of the night with a tear-streamed face. She'd managed to track down her parents and even though Hermione could adequately perform an obliviate charm, even the brightest witch of her age couldn't undo one when the subjects of the charm had taken to the life that they had created for themselves.

Hermione's parents were very much invested in the lifestyle of Wendell and Monica Wilkins, and there was nothing Hermione could do or say to change their minds. So on May the fourth, Hermione joined the household of Grimmauld place. It was more like a home with another person there, so Harry and Hermione decided that they would open up their home to any person who had been left homeless because of the war.

The only rules were that the person had to sign a contract saying that they would not abuse any of the house's residents based on d/s status, blood status or intelligence. They had to attend compulsory Friday night dinners and must respect the wishes of Harry. So far the residents of Grimmauld place were: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Dennis Creevy, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones and Kayleigh Weston. They were a tight group of six, the war had pulled them closer together and living together had helped them form strong bonds. Despite being from a variety of houses at Hogwarts, they all got along relatively well. Only two current residents were over the age of eighteen and had received their markings.

Hermione was marked as a Dom, which had been a surprise to everyone. No-one had expected the girl who first arrived at Hogwarts to be a dom on her eighteenth birthday, all though being intelligent and having the ability to stand up to teachers on matters on intellect, she was not a fighter nor was she resilient. Until the war and, as usual, the war had changed people. Hermione had become more dominant in her normal lifestyle and it showed. People respected her for being the brightest witch of her age, but then people started to respect her just for being the person that she was. She'd known for a long time, and had waited patiently to find out if Ron was a sub. She'd harboured feelings for the boy most of her school life and had prayed that he'd be the perfect complement to her.

Her prayers hadn't been answered. Ron had been dubbed a Dom too, and despite his lassez-faire attitude, Ron had always been stubborn and this translated perfectly into a Dom lifestyle. He was good at getting people to do what he wanted, and that was all that mattered. Ron's feelings for Hermione had been transformed from a romantic lust to a deep trust and respect. They became closer than they'd ever been before and Harry just had to wait until his birthday and he would be welcomed back into the group with open arms.

Ah, the pains of being the youngest.

Kayleigh Weston was a half-blooded Slytherin who played Keeper on the Slytherin 's quidditch team. She was a new addition to the group- choosing to keep a low profile in the Slytherin house during the war. Since she was a half-blood, Voldemort wasn't keen on invoking the Weston's into his ranks, but when Kayleigh had teased Crabbe and Goyle- her family had suffered. Kayleigh hated herself for that but she'd always been a strong personality who wasn't going to take flack from anyone. She had medium length brown hair and blue eyes, an average girl in a supernatural world- but she didn't care. Being dubbed as a dom meant that she was confident now in her assertiveness and prided herself on being the best in life.

Susan was a little bit younger than Harry- a few days at the most, and was looking forward to her birthday so she could finally enter into the relationship that she was searching for. Ever since Ron was marked, Susan and Ron had hit it off. Susan was a permanent resident at Hotel!Harry and Ron was there often enough that it was like he lived there, and it was clear to everyone that Susan was a sub personality. Ron was clear on what she want and even though they weren't in a committed relationship, Susan found herself doing what Ron asked. Ron asked for a drink, and Susan was the first to rise and get it for him. Ron complained about a sore neck and Susan rubbed it better- they weren't officially a couple, but everyone in the house could tell that there was something there.

As Harry awoke, he ventured downstairs to meet the others for breakfast. His hair was mussed and he was pulling on his shirt as he walked through the door.

"You're up early" he heard, and as he raised his head he saw Hermione smiling widely at him.

Harry smiled back at her, leaning across the table to grab the box of cereal. "Yeah, wrist pain- cause in-case you forgot.. my birthday's tomorrow'

The group around the table grinned, and began talking about the planned birthday party for Harry. Harry had decided that he was planning on having his party tonight, instead of the actual day of his birthday. Word had been from his friends that the pain was intense on the actual birthday, and the transition process was painful on your birthday. The section of your soul that was devoted to either dominance or submission had a full twenty four hours to come to terms with what it needed and sometimes that could be a painful process.

The party that was planned was a simple affair, the ministry had planned a large celebration for the "Boy-Who-Lived"'s eighteenth birthday, but Harry had called in a favour with Kingsley and had the whole affair cancelled.

The ministry had been on Harry's back since the war ended- trying to convince him to become an auror before completing his N.E.W.T's, but Harry wasn't agreeing. His whole life had been abnormal, fight Voldemort, defeat Voldemort and start all over again. He'd never had a chance to just go back and be normal. So this was his year, Harry Potter's year to just be Harry- to find a girlfriend or a boyfriend and go to classes. He felt strongly for Ginny, yet they still hadn't concreted anything in their relationship yet.

Ginny was an obvious submissive personality, and was already responding to Harry. She was one of the more submissive submissives, and it was the principle reason why Voldemort had found it so easy to possess her.

Harry's plan was to go into Diagon Alley and talk to the representatives of Gringotts about his affairs and buy some new clothes. He then wanted to get a new broom for quidditch come Hogwarts. After finishing his breakfast he walked up the stairs and got dressed before walking back down and seeing everyone waiting in-front of the fire.

"Guys, it's not my birthday today you don't have to wait for me" he said, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"We know Harry, but we want you to promise to stay out of the house all day" Kayleigh smiled and crossed her arms in-front of her chest.

Harry laughed, but looked seriously at his housemates. They were all standing in-front of the fire with cheeky grins on their faces and their eyes were wide with excitement. "You do know that I know the party is coming- It's not a surprise"

Kayleigh pouted and Susan smiled but it was Dennis who was answered him "Come on Harry, you haven't had a real party your whole life. We want to make it happen, so just rack off for the day okay?"

Harry laughed and took a handful of floo powder from the pot sitting in Hermione's extended hand. "Okay" he said, motioning the group out of the way. They all moved and Harry stepped inside the grate- normally he hated floo powder, but he promised that he'd speak to Luna at the Leaky Cauldron. Luna had asked for a specific interview for the birthdate of Harry Potter, he was told that unfortunately it couldn't make the front page because there had been an advancement in the recognition of the Swrinkle Tailed Swinglehopper. Harry had tried really hard not to ask what that was, but failed. He had, succeeded, in not laughing. So there were some sacrifices that needed to be made.

Harry held his handful of floo powder close to his chest and was clear in his pronunciation "Diagon Alley". The world went dark around him and the chimney swallowed him, holding him close as he ventured between home and the Leaky Cauldron.

As he emerged from the station, he heard a loud call from someone, but he couldn't see who it was. His glasses were covered in a film of soot and his ears were still ringing from the pressure of the floo. Harry classed a cleaning charm on his glasses and turned to look around the room. Tom was standing at the bar with a butterbeer in his hand- it had been a condition of his re-opening that he was always going to provide Harry with free drinks. Harry often sent money to Tom's flat upstairs whilst he wasn't looking, just as a way of saying thankyou.

Harry walked over and saw the crazy girl sitting at the bar. Harry smiled when he reminisced about the times that he and Luna had spent together; after Hermione and Ron were marked Harry had found himself spending a lot of time with Luna, Ginny and Kayleigh. It was a nice development of his friendship circles and Harry couldn't be happier.

Harry had to hold on tight to his Butterbeer as Luna crashed into him with a hug. "Oh Harry I'm so excited!" she said, her voice loud and enthusiastic "Come, sit with me. " Harry moved to sit in the seat next to Luna but she quickly stood back up and stopped him.

"Not there." She said emphatically "Nargles" Luna took Harry's hand and led them over to a bench booth before sitting opposite him.

"So Harry," Luna said with a smile "Tell me everything"

Harry raised his drink to his lips and took a swig, trying to remember what he'd wanted to say. He opened his mouth when he heard a soft drawl from behind him.

"Yes Potter, tell me everything"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Harry turned and saw Draco Malfoy standing behind him, slightly off to the side. His signature smirk was on his face and one blonde eyebrow was raised in contemplation. Harry and Draco had become- cordial, at best- after the war, and they generally tried to avoid one another. But as Hermione and Ron grew closer, Kayleigh and Harry grew closer too and unfortunately for him; Kayleigh was Draco's friend, so Harry found himself having to choose- Kayleigh or Draco.

He chose Kayleigh, so he sort of chose Draco. Draco offered Harry a slight smile and slid into the booth sitting next to Harry. He leant over and whispered, his pale skin and rose lips pressed against Harry's ear. "We need to talk Potter". His voice was serious, pleading, and when harry turned to look at him he could plainly see the terror written over Draco's face.

He wanted to help, but not everyone accepted Draco as openly as he did. Harry had released a press statement saying that he expected everyone to be treated equal after the war, but not everyone would agree with the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head, motioning toward the other blonde in front of him

"I'm talking to Luna right now Malfoy, can't it wait?"

Draco sighed, his voice betraying an undertone of disappointment. "Fine", he turned and scooted away from Harry before crossing his arms across the table. Draco's long black sleeves pulled tightly across his biceps as he reclined in the chair. "I'll wait"

Harry smiled apologetically at Luna and motioned for her to continue. Luna was at a cross point in her career path; she wanted to become an explorer- changing the face of the modern magical world, but since her father's breakdown after the war, she'd become responsible for the Quibbler. Luna's plan was to change it into a magazine that her father could be proud of. A hard hitting journal that went deep into expose's about the war's finest heroes but still maintained the fun explorative side that the quibbler's readers loved.

Luna didn't use a quick-quotes quill, instead pulling out a muggle recorder that Hermione had introduced her to.

"Happy Birthday Harry" Luna began, and a smile spread across Harry's face as Luna continued "the big one-eight. I, of course have to warn you of the increased risk of demon-pox when you turn eighteen. Are you afraid for your health?"

Harry laughed, of course the first question of the interview would be about an impending disease. He heard Draco stifle a laugh from beside him, yet Harry was sure that it wasn't because he was genuinely amused by Luna's statement.

"Thanks Luna, and no- to be honest I hadn't heard of demon-pox until now." Harry relaxed, trying to imagine this not as an interview but as a talk between friends.

"Well you shouldn't have to worry, Demon-pox is more common amongst subs and since your marking will affirm you back into the golden trio, you need not worry. Are you excited for your marking?" Luna leant forward and took a sip of her cider, smiling dreamily "I'm so excited for my marking"

"I'm excited to be back on level playing field with Ron and Hermione, but I'm nervous about the pain. Supposedly it really hurt" Harry frowned, knowing that after battling the Cruciatus curse and essentially dying that the pain of the marking shouldn't be anything to worry about. But he'd heard horror stories of admissions into St Mungo's with the pain being unbearable.

"Mine barely hurt at all" Draco said, rolling his sleeves up to show the mark on his wrist. Harry's eyes glanced over to his wrist and he heard himself gasp. It was the common perception that there were only two marks available in the world, a dom and a sub. A dom was marked with a key and subs were marked with a lock. After the marriage or claiming ceremony, the sub's lock would move to be locked and matched bands would appear around the pair's wrist. But that perception was obviously a misconception because proudly burned on Malfoy's wrist was a bird; wings extended and flying freely- a sign of neither a Dom nor a sub. A sign of a switch.

"Though I'm lucky" Draco said, his voice low as he looked down at the mark on his wrist, rubbing it subconsciously. "At least with a switch I get to choose for love?"

Harry scoffed, raising his eyes from Malfoy's wrist and meeting his silver orbs instead. "You don't think I haven't chosen love?"

Luna smiled, and Harry faintly caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, turning to face the younger girl. "The marking is all about love- it enables you to find a relationship where the dynamic is perfect for you" her dreamy smile was paired with glazed eyes and Harry realised that Luna was lost in the idea of love.

"I've chosen Ginny, and I love her" Harry said, smiling as he remembered his girlfriend. They'd resumed their relationship not long ago, trying to give one another enough time to grieve and become the people they wanted to be. Ginny's marking was still over a year away, yet they fit together so well. His dominance and her submission was a partnership that invoked respect and love, and it was everything Harry had wanted.

Draco was quick to counter, the subject matter obviously hitting close to home "Do you love her cause you fit? Because your sign matches hers?"

Harry had this argument time and time again in his head, yet he wasn't going to let Draco win. "Or do we fit because I love her. I chose Ginny long before my marking would have had an effect on my personality. I love her."

Draco paused, taking in Harry's expression. For the sake of his best friend, Kayleigh; he didn't want to anger the boy-who-lived-squared, but he couldn't find peace within himself about the system. Luna interrupted his musings with a surprisingly hard hitting question toward him.

"Do you hate the system Mr. Malfoy?" she asked, turning her curious eyes toward him "Is that why you were so easily coerced into joining the death eaters because you just hate relinquishing control?"

Draco Malfoy was stunned, and that didn't happen very often. Sure he hated the marking system, hating feeling as though there was something wrong with his personality because of his mark but he hadn't become a death eater, not really.

Draco rolled up his other sleeve, showing the faded dark mark to Loony-Lovegood. "Yes, I became a death eater, but only because my parents were threatened. I chose to protect them, fat lot of good you did with trying to protect your crazy father"

The silence that filled the room was palpable, and Draco kicked himself for his ignorance. Everyone knew of Xenophilius' breakdown and his current admission at St Mungo's, but no-one was stupid enough to bring it up. Everyone respected Luna enough and knew that if they insulted her then they were in turn insulting Harry Potter.

Harry's hand flicked out and smacked under Draco's ribs, causing his breath to leave his body suddenly.

"Just ignore him Luna," Harry began, reaching over the table to rub Luna's hand supportively "We all know that you did everything that you could. You're a hero too okay"

Luna smiled, her eyes hardening and losing all sense of the hopeful girl who dreamed of love and turned into a firm minded reporter. Draco had crushed her, and he hated himself for it. Draco had tried his best to be the best person that he could be after the war- he hated that he'd caved into the Dark Lord's wishes and hadn't been able to be strong. He knew how strong Luna had been, he'd seen her in the dungeon of his manor. He just didn't think before he opened his mouth sometimes.

"What are you most looking forward to life after the war" Luna asked, facing only to Harry, ignoring that Draco was even there.

"Besides Voldemort trying to kill me?" Harry replied sassily, sticking his tongue out at Luna. Luna's steely expression faltered slightly, and Draco released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He hadn't wanted to ruin this chance for her- this was Harry's second only interview after the war and it was a serious issue for the world. They craved the approval of their hero.

"No, seriously I'm looking forward to going and finishing my seventh year of Hogwarts. You'll be my classmate this time Luna." Harry continued, losing himself in dreams of the future. "I want to find a boyfriend or a girlfriend and go on dates in Hogsmeade. I want to do well in my NEWT's and get a job- whatever that might be. I want to have a wedding and children and not have to deal with another dark lord. Ever. I want to live" he finished, smiling.

Draco knew what that was like, Draco wanted to live too. He wanted all of those things; he wanted a boyfriend- wait! Draco paused, rewinding what Harry had just said.

"You're gay?!" Draco exclaimed turning to look at Harry.

Harry smirked "Well you of all people should not be surprised Draco- you're as gay as the fourth of July" he chuckled, which increased to full blown laughter when Luna added

"Yeah, you're as camp as a row of tents Malfoy"

The pair laughed, revelling in Draco's discomfort. Draco had no qualms with being gay; he acknowledged that it was who he was and more importantly it was who he loved. He loved the muscles of men and the bulge of boys. He supressed a groan, he knew what his sexuality was and there was no doubt about it. But Draco prised himself on not being the stereotypical gay man; sure he enjoyed wearing tailored suits and occasionally gelled back his hair. But he also enjoyed slouching around in tracksuit pants and tank tops. He played quidditch for god sake.

"Is it really that obvious?" he moaned, disappointed in himself. He wasn't ashamed of his sexuality, but he knew in the pureblood world that there were only two other openly homosexual people; and they were ostracised because of it.

"Draco it doesn't matter-" Harry began, smiling despite himself "But in answer to your question- I identify as pansexual, meaning I actually choose for love. I don't see genders. If i find you attractive, and I want to bang you then let's do this"

Harry laughed, but Luna sat up straighter, her desire to become a respected writer causing her to drop the persona of helpful friend. "Is that on the record Mr Potter?"

Harry nodded "Sure I don't care. I know it's my eighteenth birthday tomorrow and when I receive my key I'm going to wear it with pride. I'm going to be the person I couldn't be during the war, and if anyone has a problem with that then send me an owl. I don't care- I'm proud of who I am"

Draco had never been more awed by the boy who lived.

**A:N: I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Since I had an influx of people follow this story I treated you with another chapter early! I would love to hear what you think, and I will post another chapter soon. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Luna's interview had continued for another couple of hours, with Draco becoming more participative as time went on. This was his first interview after the war and Luna Lovegood wasn't holding back. She asked questions that stumped him not only because of their eccentricity but also because of their genuineness. She was good at this, despite her crazy attitude.

However, eventually it came the time that she had to leave; eager to get the story to the presses for the morning edition of the Quibbler. Luna promised to send Draco a copy to the manor tomorrow morning, and kissed Harry on the cheek telling him that she'd see him tonight.

So now they were alone. The death-eater-turned-good and the dark-lord-destroyer . Sure they had been alone before, but for some reason that Harry just couldn't figure out… this time felt different.

"What did you need to talk about Malfoy?" Harry said, turning to face Draco who, recognising the uncomfortableness of sitting side by side with his past enemy when there was no-one else at the table; got up and moved to the other side of the table.

Draco sighed, running his fingers through his hair which today was left loose and un-slicked back. The new haircut caused Draco to look more youthful, and less feminine but when Draco turned to look at Harry, his steely eyes were no different to the times of Hogwarts and it caused a slight shudder to run down Harry's spine.

"It's um," Draco began, awkwardly playing with his sleeves. He was uncomfortable. "I need your help"

A terse moment of silence followed Draco's blurt and Harry's mind was whirring about what Draco had just said. Sure, they had both made an honest attempt at being the best people that they could be after the war and they'd both made an effort for their mutual friends to be civil but never had either of the pair come to the other and asked for something so blatantly.

"So you know how the Death Eater trials are coming to an end this week?" Draco said, raising a hesitant eye to Harry before looking back to his sleeves. Of course Harry knew, he'd been a key witness in most of the trials. He didn't, however, know where Draco was going with his statement. Draco had been through a lot, and his trial was the first of them all. He'd been acquitted, forced only to continue his studies and keep in touch with the new Minister for Magic. Harry had not been the only witness at Draco's trial; several key "light" players had come forward to confirm that Draco had indeed protected them, and that he didn't deserve to go to Azkaban.

Harry was surprised at how similar the wizarding trials were to what he had seen on muggle television. Sure, his experience with television wasn't much; the only experience he had was during the later years of Hogwarts when he had snuck out of his room in the middle of the night to watch some TV. But under the cover of darkness Harry had become enthralled with police procedurals, so he'd paid particular interest in the wizarding trials. The only main difference was the use of the pensive and Veritaserum. There was still a panel of Wizarding peers who evaluated all the evidence and made a suggestion on a punishment to the Wizengamot. The Wizengamot had every right to overturn or disagree with the panel's ruling, but it was the way of deciding a punishment that was fair and equitable to all, as well as one that society would be happy with.

Harry knew that there were a lot more creative punishments being used for death eaters since the war. Since the Ministry found out about the ability to sway Dementors to either side of an argument by using carefully phrased words and the Imperius curse; the Dementors had been saved only for Azkaban's worst residents. The kiss was no longer threatened (it was being saved until a new dark lord came, _if_ a new dark lord ever came) and the Dementors were merely to remind the prisoners what they had done wrong.

Harry realised that he had been silent for a few minutes whilst reminiscing about the changes in the legal system and nodded, motioning for Draco to continue. "Well both my mother and father's sentences came back yesterday."

Harry raised his eyes to meet Draco's, who was now staring at him imploringly. Harry had been a character witness for Narcissa Malfoy, retelling the story of the forbidden forest and how without her, it was unlikely that Harry would be alive. Lucius, however, had been one of the few death eaters that Harry had helped incarcerate. He'd been brutally honest with the court, telling Lucius' history from his second year all the way up to the war.

"I'm sorry about what I said about your fat-"Harry began, before Draco laughed.

"Sorry?! Potter if that was the issue, I'd be thanking you. Lucius wasn't a real father to me" Draco said, his voice dropping as he remembered his childhood "he placed unrealistic standards on me and pressured me to be a person I'm not. He practiced curses on me and punished me in ways that I'm not even sure are legal. I'm glad that he's been sentenced to Azkaban, as well as prescribed therapy. It's probably exactly what he deserves"

Draco smiled wryly, realising that he'd just confessed a deeply personal secret to none other than Harry Potter. However, if he wanted his request to be accepted, then he'd have to start being completely honest with Harry.

"I'm actually here to talk about my mother" Draco continued, but this time it was Harry that interrupted, his voice frustrated and the frazzlement clear on his face.

"Malfoy, I did what I could do- I'm not some sort of miracle worker who can save your mother. I tired and if her sentence isn't enough then"

"Woah" Draco interjecting, his brow furrowing in confusion "No, I'm not here to beg you to help her- god Potter you've done enough for her already. I'm here to talk to you about something else. Her judgement came through and she actually got off pretty lightly- considering everything. She has to be placed into one of those communal homes where magic isn't allowed. She has to wear a tracking bracelet so the Ministry knows where she is. But she's allowed to keep her wand, and perform magic outside of the home and live a generally normal life. The tracking bracelet is just for a couple of years before they establish that she's not going to leave England"

Harry smiled, glad that Narcissa had been let off. He'd heard of these communal homes; they were for members of society that were aligned with Voldemort but had never done any serious crimes on his behalf. It was a large house in country England that allowed no magic inside the walls. It meant that all residents must live as though they were muggle whilst at home; but when out in public could still be the witches and wizards that they were born as. The houses were looked after by a "matron" or "master" who was a single, elder marked dominant who had strong dominant pull- meaning that they had an influence over everyone at the house. Harry, personally, thought that it was a sound punishment and all inter-house issues were dealt with outside of the Ministry. It was a win-win for everyone involved.

"So how does that concern me Malfoy?" Harry inquired, cocking an eyebrow in question.

Draco sighed, and did the weirdly adorable hair ruffle before continuing. "Part of the condition was she had to sell the Manor and donate the funds to the Orphans of War association, and I don't have access to my trust until I turn 21. I have enough funds to get by, and to get by comfortably but I don't have enough to get my own place"

Draco paused, and Harry's mind went into overdrive. Was Draco really asking what Harry thought he was asking? Was Draco- Harry's long time sworn enemy- asking for a place to live? Harry's silence seemed inflammatory to Draco, and his voice turned snappy.

"Don't make me say it Potter- this is awkward enough as is" Draco's hands twisted anxiously and Harry smiled sadistically. It was slightly pleasurable to see Draco suffer; he'd always been the composed person who didn't seem to let anything ruffle him. He was composed, and purely Slytherin; however in this moment he seemed so very Hufflepuff.

"So you want to move in to Hotel Potter?" Harry asked, taking pity on the blonde haired boy. His smile morphed into a smirk and he made sure he was gazing straight into Draco's eyes. Draco couldn't maintain his gaze and nodded hesitantly.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't need it Potter, and I know that we've gotten better since the war but I know we're not friends. But Kayleigh told me that you'd let me if I signed some contract or something – and I've already spoken to Granger and she was okay with it" Draco trailed off and Harry couldn't help but be annoyed. Just because Hermione and Ron were Dominants didn't mean that they could control the decisions… It was still _his_ house and it was still _his _decision to make.

He knew that it was a magically binding contract and Hermione had spelled it so a similar circumstance to Eloise Midgen would happen to anyone who broke the contract, but Draco was still Draco. He was still a Malfoy- even though he'd claimed to change; Harry knew that a new contract would need to have drawn out.

"Okay Malfoy, but we're going to come up with a new contract right here and now. I'm not sure if I trust you enough to stick to the original contract. All the old conditions would apply, but we need to create some Malfoy specific conditions" Harry said, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wand. He and Hermione had been busy during the holidays and had worked together to develop a spell that would allow them to materialise the contract whenever they needed.

"Foedus Materiala" He murmured, waving his wand in an S-formation. From the end of his wand a tan light came out, and forming a scroll of parchment. On the front of the page was the word Contract, written in Susan's cursive script.

Below the text read as follows:

" I _ _ swear on my magic and on my heart that I will follow through with the outlines set out in this contract. I swear that I will accept, acknowledge and live by the outlines in this contract; and will not try to break them deliberately. I understand that I can leave the home at any time, and that this does not have to govern how I am as a person. I feel that this contract is fair and reasonable and I acknowledge any risks that may arise by living in a home with Harry Potter.

The outlines are as follows:

I agree to attend a dinner of all residents every Friday night. This dinner will involve us sharing at least one aspect of our week, and it is important that we remain honest with each-other.

I agree to not judge anyone by blood status; the war is over and its time that everyone accepts the consequences of the war.

I agree to pitch in to the housework around Grimmauld Place, I will not use Kreacher as a personal slave for me. I acknowledge that he is willing to accept and serve Harry Potter and his guests but I cannot exploit his services.

I will not complain that Kreacher receives off days- he is a helper not a slave"

Draco stopped reading there, all the words about Kreacher was certainly Hermione's doing… even though she'd had other things on her mind… the minute she'd started recovering from the war S.P.E.W had started again. Malfoy knew that it must've been influenced by his old house elf Dobby, Draco had heard the stories on how the elf had saved lives. He continued reading; so far agreeing to everything that had been mentioned in the contract. "

I agree to not insult anyone based on domsub status. If I am a Dom, I will not use my dominance to convince subs to do any sexual activities unless we have a spoken agreement regarding the issues.

I agree to respect the wishes in this contract as well as the wishes of the head of house Harry Potter.

It is with this contract that I pledge my agreement to the above terms. I accept and acknowledge that Harry Potter must give me eight weeks' notice before asking me to leave the house- the only time this could be ignored is if I have broken any of the above terms. I swear this being of sound mind and body and agree to any punishment that may occur based on rule breakage."

There was a line below where Draco assumed that he'd have to sign, and after reading over the terms he realised that there was nothing in the contract that he was not willing to agree to. Draco knew that he had been an arsehole over his first six years at Hogwarts, and he wasn't sure whether it was nature or nurture that made him this way. Draco had decided after the war that he needed to make true friends, develop relationships and create a life for himself. If this was the first step to becoming a better man then no-one was going to stop him.

Harry cleared his throat, and Draco's eyes rose from the contract. "I hope you don't have any problems with this"

Draco shook his head and Harry continued "There is only one more clause that I want to add, and it's that you must swear to never mention the word mudblood under my roof" Harry placed a clear emphasis on the word my; he wanted Draco to understand that he meant business.

Draco nodded and lifted his wand; after a slight altercation in the early periods of their acquaintance, Draco had disarmed Harry and stolen his wand. Since both wizards claimed to need their wands back, they both agreed to disarm one another to get their original wands back. Harry had been uncertain as to whether the wands would respond to one them due to the agreeance to give the wands back, but it turned out that the wand certainly did choose the wizard. Draco's wand was connected to him, so it still continued to work perfectly fine regardless of the altercation.

Draco placed the tip of his wand on the contract and whispered "Sanctio" and watched as a blood red signature appeared in his messy scrawl. Draco furled the scroll and handed it to Harry, a hesitant smile on his face. He was going to try and make friends, for the sake of his future. Harry took the scroll from him and placed in the bag that was slung over his shoulder. "I guess it's time you met the family" Harry said, standing to his feet and heading toward the door.

**A.N: I realised that I didn't put a disclaimer on here- I do not own Harry Potter (as you can probably tell by my shitty writing) and I will not make any money from this. I also will not sell out and turn this fanfiction into a crappy work of fiction and outsell JK Rowling. **

**I also wanted to say thank-you all for reading and favouriting and following. A special thank-you for the people that reviewed- If I could send you a cake I would. I can understand how frustrating WIP's can be, but I promise that as long as you stay interested... I'll keep writing until the story is done. Love and Kisses, feel free to ask questions or express your hatred in a review: herm1on3 x**


	5. Chapter 4

**A.N: New week = New Chapter. Thank-you all for your consideration and responses to my story, as I think I've said WIP's are considerably finicky but I promise that I'll do my best to update every week. Read and Review and Enjoy! **

**Chapter 4**

As Harry strode out of the Leaky Cauldron, Draco hurried to keep up with him. He wasn't sure what Harry meant by needing to "meet the family", but it made an uncomfortable feeling settle in his stomach. Draco wasn't sure if it was nerves or if it was anticipation of being able to live with his best friend, but he didn't like the feeling what so ever. Besides, family wasn't something that Draco sought out or even appreciated, his family had only led to disappointment and pain.

As Harry walked, he pulled out a galleon from his pocket and begun murmuring words to it. Draco had only heard about the spelled galleons that the D.A used, and was marvelled by the magic that was floating around the galleon. He was so marvelled by it, that he didn't notice that Harry was talking to him.

"Of course we're going to get you one of these- it's a really handy way to communicate with one another. Wait" he stopped suddenly and Draco ran up the back of him, losing his balance slightly. Draco placed a hand out to steady himself before running his fingers through his hair to make sure it's perfect.

"Do you need to get your things?" Harry asked, turning to Draco inquisitively. Draco pursed his lips and contemplated how to answer. Did he say that he was already so sure that Harry would say yes that he asked Kayleigh to collect his things from the Manor? Did he lie and- Draco stopped himself before he could even finish the thought. He didn't need to lie to Harry, he'd just tell an abridged version of the truth.

"I told Kayleigh what I was considering doing and she bought them over from the manor. I thought you wouldn't want to be there Potter" Draco sneered the last bit, trying to seem as though he was saving Harry from some massive inconvenience.

Harry nodded, before reaching out to place a hand on Draco's arm. Harry figured that they were far enough away from the muggles that he would be able to apparate Draco to Grimmauld place in order to introduce him to the family. It was only an hour now until the guests arrived for his party, and Harry hadn't yet clued in all of the residents of Grimmauld Place. He'd simply messaged them to meet in the lounge room in three minutes, and that there was big news to share.

"I know you don't want to side-along with me Malfoy, but it'll be over in a minute. Just keep your mind clear so you don't splinch me" Harry closed his eyes and focused on the three D's: Determination, Destination and Deliberation. Harry could see the mahogany door of Grimmauld place and the proud golden lion knocker that sat on the door. Harry knew that Sirius had placed it on the door before he passed as a "fuck you" to his pureblood elitist parents, it was a connection to Sirius that he hadn't wanted to lose, so there it had stayed. Harry could merely chuckle when he thought about what Draco would say.

As they arrived on the doorstep of Grimmauld place, Harry couldn't help but shake his head. He still hated the feeling of being pressed against a rubber tube that came with apparition, but he couldn't help but be impressed with the ease of travel. Harry heard Malfoy scoff, and he assumed it was because of the knocker.

"Very Gryffindor" Draco muttered, and Harry found himself chuckling louder. He was always surprised at how well he knew Malfoy, especially considering that they'd been enemies for so long. Harry placed his hand on the door knob and felt the surge of magic as the home recognised his magical signature. There wasn't a single day where a reporter wasn't camped in front of Grimmauld place, searching for the Boy-who-lived-and-died-and-lived. So Harry had kept the wards close around the front step secure and had keyed the wards to recognise his roommates as guests. He opened the door and stepped inside, instantly relaxing at the serenity of being home.

Harry strode purposely into the lounge room and was pleased to see the group sitting on the lounge. They looked up at him with raised eyebrows; obviously noticing his lack of packages. Harry remembered that he had originally planned on going and buying himself a new broom ready for Quidditch and talking to the Gringotts' managers. Stupid Malfoy and his stupid request to move in.

Harry walked in and sat down opposite the group, smiling at them confidently. Harry had motioned for Malfoy to stay hidden behind the wall until he'd had a chance to talk to the groups, so taking a steadying breath Harry began.

"Whilst I was out, I met an acquaintance of ours. I spoke to him about his circumstances and he requested that he could move in with us. I made him look over the contract and sign it, and he was more than willing to do so. I have every confidence that he'll be polite, so let's try and be polite back. Okay?" Harry feared that his nervousness was as clear to everyone else as it was to him. Harry could hear his voice shaking and could feel his foot tapping nervously inside his boots. The rest of the members of the house were looking at him expectantly, and Draco- who was listening in at the door- chose that moment to walk into the living room.

It was interesting to see Draco walk in, his posture invoking confidence and his face guarded from the group. Harry hadn't paid much attention to him when he first arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, but he knew now that the boy had changed; just like everyone else.

When he turned the corner there was a cackle of laughter from Harry's roommates, and Harry turned to them confusedly. This wasn't a laughing matter, Draco had been a serious twat to them before the war and it was a big decision to allow them into his home.

Kayleigh stood up from her spot on the lounge, already dressed in her party outfit, and ran toward her best friend enthusiastically. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist, picking her up and turning her on the spot. Kayleigh giggled and kissed him on the cheek when he put her down and murmured something in his ear. Harry couldn't tell what, but the grin on his friends face made him believe that he'd made the right decision.

Slowly one by one the group got up from the lounge and either embraced Malfoy or offered him a handshake. It was surprising to see Hermione, dressed only in her dressing gown, wrap Malfoy into a hug and hold him tight. It was surprising to see Dennis shake his hand and exchange a raucous laugh with the elder blonde boy. It didn't make any sense.

"I don't understand" Harry voiced from his seat on the lounge, "why are you all okay with this"

Malfoy laughed, and it surprised Harry. It was a full laugh, which started in Draco's chest and bubbled up through his throat. It filled the room with some sort of warmth that Harry wasn't expecting, and caused a tingle in his chest that he tried to ignore.

"Potter, whilst you were moaning after the war the rest of us in this room took Madam Pomfrey up on her offer for counselling. Hell, these guys helped me realise that I was a twat and that I needed to change my ways"

Harry's heart sunk; there was so much he didn't know. He knew that there was a period of a few months where he had sunk into a deep depression after the war, struggling to deal with the fact that not every death was his fault. But he hadn't expected his life to change completely when he came out of it. He hadn't expected his friends to be friends with his enemy and his other friends to ignore him completely.

"Fine then- I'll let you deal with him then" Harry said, striding out of the room and up the stairs toward his room. This was ridiculous and not fair. Harry heard the groans of his roommates behind him, and he knew that he might have been blowing this out of proportion. What was interesting him more was the hard footsteps that were echoing behind him.

"Potter, wait up" Harry heard Malfoy call from behind him, his voice soft and pleading. "I didn't mean to steal your mates Potter. Just hear me out. I can leave if it's going to be a problem."

Harry continued climbing the stairs storming up toward his room which was unfortunately on the third floor. He could've apparated, but there was something more anger reducing by stomping up the stairs.

"Potter" Draco called before his voice hardened slightly, obviously frustrated "Stop!"

It'd been so long since someone had spoken to him like that that Harry stopped, turning to face Malfoy. "What?"

"I'm sorry Potter. I'm not trying to steal your mates away from you. It's just we all had a lot to deal with, you more than any of us I'm sure, but we dealt with it by going to counselling; together. I can't help it" Draco said with a disappointed sigh "I was just trying to create a new me"

Harry sighed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. He knew that Draco wasn't at fault here, they were all trying to adjust to life without the war and Harry just needed to find his place. Hopefully this birthday would help him find that place.

"I'm sorry its just with everything happening with Mione and Ron, I just didn't want to think I was losing my friends to Draco freaking Malfoy" Harry offered Draco a wry smile, before turning away again- not giving Draco any time to respond. "I'll show you to your room".

He finished walking past the second floor, pointing out the library and the other resident's rooms. Of course, Hermione and Dennis had shot gunned the rooms opposite the library, and Hannah had bonded with Dennis so it seemed only fair to place them next to one another.

Harry had Sirius' old bedroom on the third floor, the only room with an ensuite. He felt a bit jealous about stealing the only room with its own bathroom, but then he remembered it was his house and he could do what he liked.

Shit, Harry swore, realising the issue of the current bedroom situation. Out of all the floors at Grimmauld place, Hotel! Harry was only using four of them, and currently there was one spare room on the floor which Harry was living on- right opposite his room. Draco Malfoy, would not only be living with him, but would be living directly opposite him.

Harry turned up the final set of stairs and pointed to the room on his immediate left "That's the bathroom, and is shared between you and the two other people on the floor. That's Kayleigh and Susan, but if you really have a problem with sharing with two girls there is a spare upstairs. We are trying not to use that floor for now because no-one lives there but if you really need to you can. " Harry smiled and turned back to face Draco this time- the pleading in his eyes was gone and instead was the same guarded expression that Harry had seen a million times before.

"On the left hand side is my room and I use my own ensuite, It was Sirius' room so I um" Harry paused, a lump forming in his throat as he remembered Sirius.

Harry just ignored that feeling, pushing the feelings deep inside his chest where he could only just feel the dull ache in his chest. Sirius was his godfather, and the only link he had to his parents. He thought that he was over it, pleaded that he was over it but every time those feelings bubbled up he just pushed them away.

"Um, on the right hand side opposite the bathroom is Susan's room and then on the other side of the empty room is Kayleigh's. Don't you get any crazy ideas" Harry tried to joke, trying to break down the feelings that were bubbling up inside him. It was his birthday tomorrow for goodness sake; he needed to be fun, upbeat. He was receiving his mark and everything was going to go back to normal. He hoped.

"It's only forty five minutes until the party, so I'm going to go and have a shower and everything" Harry said, pausing and deliberating. He felt it was only fair to invite Draco to the party, even though he was upset, Harry wanted to have a good time tonight.

"Um, so you can decorate the room however you want and I'm sure Kayleigh will look forward to seeing you at the party." Harry finished, turning and heading toward his room.

He opened the door, and shut it leaning against it with a slow agonising breath out. This was getting out of control, this was another element to his life that he just had to worry about- but he could do this. Harry glanced around at the room that once was Sirius' and smiled fondly. He'd placed photos of the group around the wall- using enlarging spells until they were the size of posters.

Harry had coloured his walls an off white with Gryffindor red trimmings- he wanted the room to be enough like his dorm at Hogwarts that it gave him a relaxed feeling, but enough like his new home that he could create a new life there. Standing up from against the door, Harry lifted his shirt off over his head and allowed the fabric to fall at his feet, as he started to get ready for a shower.

Walking into his ensuite his head was abuzz with questions about whether he'd made the right decision. He didn't focus on them, instead focusing on the act of getting ready. He slid his pants and boxers over his leg and stepped into the shower, turning the tap on and enjoying the feeling of the water pounding against his back.

It reminded him of showers in the Gryffindor changing room after quidditch- the water at Hogwarts was charmed to pulse and massage the tired, aching muscles of the players, and when Harry was fixing up Grimmauld place, his first instinct had been to do the same. So there he stood, enjoying the steady beat of the warm water against his back and he tipped his head back, allowing the water to run down the front of his head.

Harry moaned, feeling the worries of the day melt away. He didn't have to worry about Draco or what Ron would think when he realised Draco had moved in. Harry didn't need to worry about his marking tomorrow or the pain he would experience. He could just be.

After a thorough soaking, Harry stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel from the rack. Casting a wandless warming charm on it, he wrapped the towel tightly around his waist and made his way to his closet, but as he walked past his bed an outfit that was lay out caught Harry's eye.

He knew that Kayleigh was extremely fashion-conscious, that was obvious enough by the red something dress that she was wearing downstairs. Harry wasn't, fashion conscious, as shown by him not knowing what type of dress she was wearing. But Kayleigh obviously cared about Harry would look like today, because she'd placed on his bed an outfit to wear and a note. The note read:

"Harry, wanted you to look nice for your special day. Wear this. Not a suggestion. Love, Kayleigh"

Harry let out a slow laugh as he looked at the outfit on the bed. Tight black jeans and a red collared shirt- he was sure that she was trying to get them to match. Kayleigh was a big fan of matching and unity, Harry knew that it was a post war OCD thing; she must have control over everything. Kayleigh had been so open and honest about her struggles, and Harry knew that a good way to help her was to go along with what she wanted. Besides, the smile on her face was enough for Harry to encourage him to go along with it. Harry wanted to be the reason for smiles with his friends and new family. He was sick of being the one that causes fear and pain; there was a subtle niggling in Harry's chest that told him that everyone's pain was his fault.

Harry tugged the shirt over his shoulders and squeezed into his jeans. He turned and looked at himself in the hall mirror; his hair was still the same- messy beyond repartition and his emerald eyes still stared back at him in the mirror. He was the same old Harry- just better dressed thanks to living in a house full of girls.

A knock on the door turned Harry away from the mirror and his heart leapt into his chest. This was happening; it was less than six hours before his eighteenth birthday and everything was going to be fine. Everything was going to work out.

"Come In," Harry called, sitting down on the edge of his plush bed.

The door opened confidently and Kayleigh strode into the room. Her eyes raked over Harry's outfit and beamed, she held out her arms to the side expecting a hug "Oh come here you…" she chuckled.

Harry stood up and wrapped his arm around Kayleigh, and whispering a thank-you into her ear. The pair stepped away from one another and Harry sat back down on the bed and surprisingly, Kayleigh sat down next to him and turned to face him, taking his hands in hers.

"I wanted to talk about Draco" Kayleigh began, looking at Harry straight in the eye. Unlike Harry, Kayleigh took confrontation with her peers well, she didn't shy away from talking about whatever that was on her mind. "Draco has been my best friend since sixth year, but you've become something special for me too. I know that you can't be happy about Draco moving in, I mean Ron wasn't"

Ron? Harry caught onto one word that Kayleigh had said, and asked her to explain. Harry knew that Ron was extremely stubborn and wasn't going to take well to Draco moving in. He'd just hoped that Harry himself had a chance to tell Ron before someone else did.

"Shut up Potter," Kayleigh joked, ignoring everything that Harry had been rambling about "I wanted to let you know that I really like spending time with you and I want to stay your friend. Nothing Draco says while he is in idiot mode is going to change that okay Harry?"

Harry smiled and nodded, yet didn't say anything. He couldn't admit that he was worried, maybe because he didn't want to admit to being weak, but he was worried. After the marking of Ron and Hermione, he'd attatched himself to Kayleigh and had found himself loving her company. He smiled at her and then found himself chuckling. This was different; there was no way that Harry was going to turn on his friends. He'd had friends turn on him in the past but he wasn't that guy.

"I'm not going to turn on you Kay, we're friends" Harry smiled and stroked his thumb against her hand, which was still wrapped around his possessively.

Before he could continue, a sharp rap cut through the temporary silence. Kayleigh's hands moved away from his so quickly that Harry found himself grasping air. Kayleigh jumped up off the bed and walked toward the door. Once she had her hand on the table, she turned back to Harry with a wink "Seems like you're popular today"

Harry grinned, and watched as she opened the door. There standing next to one another were his best friends: Ron and Hermione. Ron was leaning against the doorway and Hermione's hand was poised ready to knock again.

"We need to talk" Ron said and when he turned to face Harry, Harry gasped at the black eye that adorned his face.

"What in Merlin's name happened?"


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Ron pushed Kayleigh out of the way and strode toward Harry, his anger evident. "Harry this is your entire fault" he sneered, and Hermione followed him in… but her face was so much more calm. In fact, there was the glimmer of a smirk on her face as she followed Ron into the room.

Kayleigh's eyes widened over Hermione's shoulder and mouthed to Harry "Good luck" before winking and closing the door behind her.

Ron's face was tense as he turned and started pacing in front of Harry. "I cannot believe you did this Harry" he seethed, and Harry's face crewed up in confusion. He hadn't done anything; he'd literally come from Diagon Alley back home, taken a shower and gotten dressed. Unless he'd sleep punched Ron in his sleep, there was no way that it was his fault.

"I didn't do anything Ron" Harry pleaded, and Hermione's gaze softened.

"Ron knows that Harry," She began, yet the minute the words were out of her mouth Ron turned to snap at her. His voice was low and deep, the vibrancy rumbling through his chest. His voice was in full dominant mode and his body followed.

"Don't tell me what I think" his voice caused the room to stagnate and Harry couldn't help but feel threatened. Any unmarked person would. But Hermione, she just stood there and blinked.

"Don't you talk to me that way Ronald Weasley" Hermione's dominance was even more clear than Ron's. Hermione was the type of dominant that submissives craved for- she was empathetic and cared about her submissives. She still expected people to be treated equally, and was willing to do anything she could to make sure that it happened.

"Harry wasn't the one that hit you Ron, it was Draco and only after you hit him first" Hermione's voice was still dominant, yet she tried to maintain her calm. Harry was threatened by this situation, but he was also so happy to have his friends all together in one room.

Draco hit Ron? Ron hit Draco? "Why did you hit him?" Harry asked, obviously not understanding that not everyone had moved on since the war.

"It's Draco Malfoy. Why the hell did you let him live here?"

Harry paused, why did he let Draco live here? Was it just because he'd asked? Or was it because deep down Harry knew that people changed.

"Answer Me!" Ron yelled turning and raising a fist at Harry. Harry quivered from the dominance in his voice and found himself shrinking away. He had fought dominance in Lord Voldemort and had triumphed, but the day before his marking made him the most susceptible to control, both in terms of controlling and being controlled. Harry's brow furrowed and he straightened.

"Rack off Ron!" Harry yelled, and Ron lowered his arm. "I believe that people have changed since the war- and it seems that you have too. It turns out you've become an arse"

Ron's glare intensified as Harry continued to yell "I welcomed Draco into MY home because he needed somewhere to go. I actually care about rebuilding the society after the war."

Hermione gasped softly before stepping in between the two fighting boys "Ron," she started, turning to face the ginger who was currently trying to figure out a witty comeback. "Don't. We all remember how you were the day of your marking, so don't rile up Harry just to get a response"

The voice Hermione used to speak to Harry was much calmer, knowing that any slight show of dominance would result in a rebuttal from Harry. "Harry, I'm sure you don't mean that…"

"No Hermione, I do! All Ron has been focused on doing is getting a good lay before he has to commit to someone, or something. He's riding on the benefits of being a war hero and that's not fair- people died in that war!"

"You don't think I get that?!" Ron roared, "I lost Fred; my brother. I had to hear stories of Bellatrix Lestrange fighting both my mother and my baby sister. Just because your parents died seventeen years ago does not mean you understand loss Harry!"

Harry froze, a lump in his throat forming and a piercing feeling reverberated in his chest. That hurt. That hurt a lot. Harry could feel the tears welling up in his eyes but he tried to push them down. The voice that came out of Harry's mouth was not his own, the cold tone reflected the icy tint in his eyes as he muttered two words.

"Get out."

Ron's eyes widened and his glares softened, "But mate…"

"Get out Ron." Harry said, raising his voice slightly. "I understand loss. You don't think I loved Fred like a brother? You don't think I felt that, you don't think I understand how scary it would be to have my girlfriend fight a madwoman?"

"My girlfriend has a scar on her arm to match the insane views of the time" Ron said, his voice finally returning to a state of calm.

"Ex" Hermione chimed in, and both the boys turned to her with a confused look. "Ex-girlfriend Ron. After Susan's birthday in a couple of days I'm hoping that you'll settle down with her. After all, I think you've got your fair share of sexual conquests out of the way don't you?"

Both Harry and Hermione knew that everyone dealt with grief differently. Ron had tried to become parts of his big brothers that they'd lost. He tried to absorb Fred's boisterous side by helping George get Weasley's Wizards Wheezes back up and running. He'd tried to copy Bill's good looks by styling his hair and updating his wardrobe. He'd tried to become more intellectual by channelling Percy and he'd tried to be the person that people lusted after and so far he was succeeding.

Ron was still not very good at managing his temper, which made his dominance one that was lusted after by some of the more masochistic subs, though to his friends and family, it was seen as a problem.

"Fuck off Hermione. Once again you're siding with Saint Potter. Harry- you don't know the loss I feel… you don't even have a real family!"

The accusation hung in the air and sent Harry's heart lurching in his chest. That wasn't fair. Not even close. Harry took a step away from Ron and sat back down on his bed "That was too far Ron. I'm going to ask you to leave now"

Harry's voice was calm and he kept his head low, trying to hide the tears that were in his eyes. He kept his head focused on the sounds of his two friends. There was no sign of movement, he wasn't listening.

"Look Harry I'm sorry" Ron began and it just hurt Harry more.

"Ron, you can stay for the party because you're still my best mate. But you need to get out of this room right now." Harry said, his voice breaking at the end.

"Harry…" Ron started.

"Now!"

Harry felt the wards of the house obey his request, and the forces behind them began to force Ron out of the room. Harry could hear the scuff of Ron's shoes as he tried to fight the force of Harry's magic that was pushing him out of the room. Once Harry heard the door close behind Ron, he allowed himself to feel the hurt that Ron's words had caused.

He started to sob, his chest constricting and his breath spasming as he tried to take control of his emotions. He felt Hermione sit down on the bed beside him, but he couldn't talk. How dare Ron say what he said? And all over one stupid decision to allow Draco Malfoy to stay in his home. Was he an idiot?

"No Harry you're not an idiot. You were trying to do a nice thing and besides, we all know Draco's changed" Hermione said, turning and embracing Harry tightly.

Harry realised that he must've been speaking aloud before relaxing into the embrace. He felt Hermione rub slow circles on his back and Harry felt himself relaxing.

"Of course you have a family Harry" Hermione murmured into Harry's ear- the soft blow of her breath causing the hairs on the back of Harry's neck to stand up. "You have me, and you have the Weasley's and you have everyone that lives in this house. You even have Ron- regardless of what a dick he was just then"

Harry chuckled quietly, feeling a wave of calm take over. His breathing was still ragged and tears still rolled down his face but he knew Hermione was right. Harry relaxed into Hermione's hug and just let his best friend hold him. He knew she was right, he knew it subconsciously… but now he had to believe it.

Hermione released Harry from the hug and used her index finger to wipe away a stray tear that had fallen from Harry's eyelash. "Don't cry" Hermione murmured and Harry sniffed back a tear. He hated showing weakness; he wasn't supposed to be Harry Potter, the boy-who-cried. He was supposed to be Harry Potter, the boy-who-triumphed. Harry knew that today was his new beginning, his way to close the door to the Harry Potter who was a victim and open the door to Harry Potter the man.

He stood up from the bed and smoothed down his shirt, before his hand came to his eye-line and straightened his glasses. "Let's go have a party" he said with a grin, before offering his hand to Hermione to pull her from the bed.

Now that he was focused on having a good time he noticed the beautiful periwinkle blue dress that Hermione was wearing, and he reminisced of the days of the Yule Ball. Hermione was even prettier now than she was on that night, and that was saying something. Hermione had allowed the magic of her dominance consume her and her magic had shifted and changed as she developed as a person. This meant that Hermione had a sun-radiant glow around her that increased her beauty tenfold.

As Hermione stood with Harry's assistance, Harry leant in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Thanks Hermione" he whispered, before walking to the door and holding it open for her. As she walked through the door, Harry turned to follow her but was stopped by Hermione's hand placed firmly on his chest.

"Nuh-uh" she tutted, smiling slyly "Everyone put a lot of work into decorations upstairs and we want you to be surprised. So I'm blindfolding you" she chuckled, before removing her wand from a hidden holster on her thigh. Harry tried to suppress thoughts of what exactly could've been under her dress (mainly because explaining a crimson blush would be too difficult) and raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Hermione; I'm eighteen, not eight. I don't need to-"

Hermione interrupted with a turn and swish motion with her wand, a muttered spell cutting through Harry's words. "Oculus foggaro"- an off-white mist covered Harry's glasses and left him in a state of surprising dizziness. The world around him was blurry and looked as though he was stuck outside in the middle of a blizzard.

"I love that spell" Hermione said with what Harry could only assume was a grin, and grasped his hand tightly. Harry gave her hand a slight squeeze and waited as he listened to Hermione's footsteps as he led her away. It was decided that they were only going to open the ballroom to the party, so Harry waited patiently as he was led up the stairs.

The ballroom was on the fifth floor, and one of two floors to which the floo was connected, so it made sense for the party to be held there. The ballroom was protected with soundproofing spells and came with a fully replenishing bar, so it was the ideal party destination.

Today was not only Harry's birthday celebrations, but it was also the celebration of Neville's birthday. It had been decided that Neville was best resting the day before his birthday and instead would celebrate the day of his birthday, after he had been marked. He hadn't told anyone about his marking and had intended for it to be revealed at the party.

Harry kept walking before walking into something large and firm- another person.

"Oi," a gruff voice echoed, and it was obvious that the collision had caused a slight level of pain for the other man. Just as Harry was starting to apologise, he heard Hannah giggling in-front of him.

"Nev, it was just Harry baby. Calm down" she said, her voice infiltrated with amused giggles. Hannah and Neville had connected during the real seventh year and had been dating since, Harry wasn't sure about which one of the pair would be marked dominant, but he was sure that the pair were destined to stay together.

They complimented one another like peas and corn, like salt and pepper. It was impossible to imagine Neville Longbottom without Hannah Abbot, and there was a wager going around when they would become Mr and Mrs Longbottom. Harry had February 1999, and had a silent wager in his head about it would be two days either side of Valentine's Day. He wasn't sure why he was so confident, but he just knew that it was going to be somewhere around there, and was looking forward to collecting the kitty at the end of the term.

"Sorry Nev" Harry murmured, reaching out to clap Neville on what he thought was his shoulder. He heard a chuckle rumble through Neville's chest and felt a hand wrap around his shoulder as well.

"Happy Birthday eve Harry" Neville said, the confidence clear in his voice. He had changed, he was no longer scared about the mark and that alone allowed Harry to take a deep breath and trying to calm himself down. There was nothing to be scared about; all of his friends had been through it and Harry was a fighter.

"Happy Birthday Neville" Harry said, dropping his hand from Neville's shoulder "Marking went well?"

Neville and Harry continued to talk whilst blindfolded, and it seemed as though they were waiting for an hour before they were interrupted by a girly cough; Hannah. "Come on boys, it's time to go…"

Harry felt a cool delicate hand wrap around his and felt the hand tug him forward. He heard the door open and stepped into what he assumed was a dark room.

Harry heard a chorus of "Surprise!" but no-one had removed his version of a blindfold. Harry heard a raucous noise echo around the room and felt people grasping his hand in firm handshakes. He had no-idea what was happening.

Harry heard Hermione swear from next to him, and he assumed everyone turned to look at her. Hermione didn't swear often, so when she did everyone always took notice.

"Oculus Reparo"

The haze over his glasses was lifted, the dust that spotted the lenses disappearing. Harry could see, and was greeted with smiling faces of his friends in front of him.

Ginny stood next to him and kissed him on the cheek, "Happy Birthday Harry" she murmured against his skin. Her smooth rose lips sending vibrations through his skin all the way down to his feet.

He saw Ron standing off to the side, and Harry offered him a hesitant smile. He received a terse nod in return and Harry had to look away… he wasn't going to let a silly disagreement ruin his birthday. When he looked past Ron he saw all his friends smiling, and he promised himself that he was not going to let his dom status change who he is, nor would he let it affect the friendships he had made since the war.

"I really like that spell" he muttered before he was greeted with the laughter of his friends.


	7. Chapter 6

**A.N: **_**Thank you all for your continued patience. Here is chapter six; I hope you all enjoy. I love hearing from your guys in forms of reviews, but since I know it can sometimes be hard to just review with compliments (it can seem too gushy for some people) how about we try a game. I can ask a question and you can answer it in a review maybe with a compliment as well :P So this chapter's question will be at the end of this chapter. **_

"Are you scared Potter?" Draco drawled, and all eyes were turned onto him. It was customary that in the last hour of the birthday person's eve- all of their family and friends sit around and talk; trying to calm the person down. Most people's emotions go out of control for the last hour of their birthday eve, because being marked was emotionally draining… but it was nothing compared to fighting Voldemort; so Harry's chat had just turned into just that… a chat.

"Should I be?" Harry quipped "I am, after all the boy who lived"

Everyone laughed and Susan smiled at him "Harry; you'll fit right in with the doms" she said softly "After all, you have the arrogance to start with it."

The laughter continued at Susan's joke- everyone knew that it wasn't true, at least not explicitly. Doms were required to have a sense of arrogance, in the sense that they knew what was best for their subs. But that did not mean they were arrogant people. Ron, however didn't take the joke well, since Harry and his argument… a permanent scowl had affixed itself to Ron's face.

"Mine barely hurt" Neville said and everyone sobered immediately. Neville hadn't spoken about his mark yet, instead choosing to let Harry have his day. However, now it seemed like Neville was willing to share. He grasped the sleeve of his collared shirt and rolled it up slightly. There, gracing his pale wrist was the sign of a switch; birds wide open and flying proudly.

Draco laughed, and everyone turned to look at him strangely. Becoming a switch was a rare occurrence, and it wasn't something that was taken lightly. Harry realised that not everyone in the circle would know of Draco's marking, especially if he was someone that wanted to fall in love because of his personality rather than his mark.

"Draco!" Hannah huffed "You shouldn't laugh at someone's mark. That's so Malfoy of you!"

Draco stopped laughing immediately, his eyes hardening. He didn't want to be like the rest of the Malfoy's- he wanted to be just Draco. Draco rolled up his sleeve, and flashed the birds at Hannah. "I thought I was the only one- the one that'd have a chance to choose who I loved based not on mark".

Neville coughed, obviously wanting the attention back on him. "That's something that I wanted to clarify, right now to Hannah" He turned to look at her, and is left hand slipped into the pocket of his leather jacket. "It's quite obvious to everyone here what your marking would be, and it was only mine that was questionable. People thought that just because I killed Nagini, that I was going to be an automatic dominant. Others couldn't move past the Neville that I was. But the only person that stayed true to me, and had absolute faith in me was Hannah. You had faith in me last year, and that faith has continued on from then."

He stood up from the seat that he was sitting in and knelt down next to Hannah, his hand removing a small velvet box from within his coat. Harry felt himself inhaling, realising that he was about to be a part of a truly intimate moment. He heard his inhale echoed around the room- this was it, the first step to the adult world.

"I love you Hannah, and I promise to be your rock and your best friend for ever. When we went to meet my parents my mother connected with you, something I've only seen her do a few times and when I came next time she gave me this" He popped the lid of the box and there, nestled in the fabric was a simple engagement ring. A gold band and a silver band wrapped around a diamond as though it was two hands holding together. Harry could imagine it representing the two lives coming together. Harry wondered if his mother had helped Frank pick it out, because he'd always been told stories of how close they were before the first war.

"Hannah Marianne Abbott, will you do me the honour of agreeing to be my life long partner? Will you make me the happiest man alive and will you marry me?"

There was silence in the room, and Harry could hear his heart beating wildly. It was the most beautiful proposal he had ever heard, and the fact that he had been managed to bring in his parents even though they weren't there made Harry's heart lurch into his throat. He wanted that, he wanted to find a partner who made him happy and made him forget the past. This could be him and Ginny in a couple of years time. Ginny was beautiful and he couldn't think about being without her.

"I will love you now until the day I die Neville. Of course I will marry you" Hannah smiled largely as the ring was slipped on her finger, and then pulled Neville to his feet kissing him passionately. Harry felt the love radiate between them and Harry looked around at the rest of his friends.

Everyone was smiling- and they were happy. To Harry, this was the beginning of the new post war life. Harry still remembered every person he had lost during the war and this was the start of something new. Harry met Ron's eyes across the room and he smiled, but this time he received a smile in return.

"Mates?" Harry mouthed and received a nod in return. He felt his wrist begin to ache, and looked down at his seventeenth birthday present and realised the time. Harry stood, leaving the rest of the room to marvel at the beauty of Neville and Hannah's relationship, and left to begin his new life.

As he started to walk down the stairs, he heard the door of the ballroom close and a soft voice call out his name. He turned and saw Hermione coming down the stairs, a smile on her face.

"You weren't just going to leave without saying goodbye were you?" she smirked, taking Harry's offered hand and allowing him to lead her down the stairs. "I'm going to bed Mione, not to my death" Harry laughed and held on to her hand and continued down toward his room.

He stopped outside the door as he heard Hermione clear her throat. "You know it's not the same thing right?"

Harry raised one eyebrow quizzically and waited for her to continue. "If you don't get the mark that you want, we're still going to love you. All of us" she said, before reaching into her clutch and removing a translucent cube. "I was told to give you this, but don't activate it before you go to bed okay?" she said with a smile.

"I love you Harry" Hermione murmured, leaning forward and kissing his cheek and stepping back. "Happy Birthday- only five minutes to go"

Harry smiled and looked down at the cube. As he raised his eyes to look back at Hermione, she was gone- the only reminder she was even there was the cube in his hands. He'd seen them before in Diagon Alley; it was similar to a portable pensieve and allowed messages to be relayed from one person to another. They were a beautiful way of making sure there were still connections between family and friends who had fled because of the war.

Harry turned the cube three times around and then watched the cube light up a three dimensional image of Teddy; his godson. He was the cutest baby and the cube showed him laughing and waving at the camera. It relaxed Harry- seeing his godson smiling and laughing. The child waved at him and blew him a kiss.

"Love you Unca Hawwy" Teddy said, and Harry beamed. Andromeda had been trying to do her best with Teddy, but it's been taxing because of her loss in the war. Andromeda had lost her daughter, her son in law and her husband. Teddy was all she had left, but it was becoming more and more challenging for her to raise Teddy, so Harry stepped in. Harry took him every weekend and loved every second that they were together.

Harry hadn't introduced Teddy to Narcissa or Draco yet, but it seemed like it was getting closer and closer to the right time. Draco had matured and Narcissa had changed too- Andromeda needed help, and when September came along Harry wasn't going to be around as much; it would make Harry's heart swell to know that Teddy was going to be safe.

Harry vowed to be the godfather to Teddy that Sirius had been to him; well, without the stint in Azkaban or the dying after two years of knowing one another. Harry knew he was going to do Remus and Tonks proud.

A sharp pain jumping from Harry's wrist caused him to drop the cube on the bed. The pain was hot and searing as it jumped up his wrist and travelled through his veins toward his heart. This was it, the beginning of his new life as a dom and his new life as Harry Potter. This pain signalled the end of the boy who lived, and the beginning of the boy who thrived.

Harry dropped back against the bed and lay down, closing his eyes to ignore the pain coursing through his body. The door creaked open and Harry crunched up to look at the door, and there was Ginny. Her fiery red hair was swept across her face and a smile flickered to her eyes.

"Gin" Harry raised his eyebrows "this is generally the time where people leave me alone. It's three minutes before I probably fall asleep to try and get out of this pain"

She walked in, head high and shoulders back. "I don't mind, I need to tell you something and it's important"

She reached his bed and sat down, moving a still smiling Teddy to the bed side table. Her hands ran through his hair and she bent down and kissed him softly. "This could change everything"

Harry ignored the pain in his chest and kissed her harder- "It's not going to change anything. Everything that Neville said to Hannah I would say to you. This isn't going to change you. I'll be your dom and we'll be happy together."

Ginny beamed, and wrapped her hand around his neck, pulling Harry into a kiss. "I love you" she murmured, her tongue swirling into Harry's mouth and her chest heaving into his. Harry reached down and cupped one of her breasts, the pain in his mind forgotten as his girlfriend tried to take it all away.

Her hand ran down Harry's torso, and every time she kissed him; the world slowed down. His world became all about Ginny when she kissed him. Harry massaged her in his hands and moved to suck the hollow where her collarbones were. They'd not done anything sexual yet, choosing not to until the claiming process could've been completed.

Though all semblance of abstinence left his mind when Ginny's hand palmed him over his pants. Harry hadn't got changed from the party, and knew coming in his dress pants would make things too messy. Harry couldn't do this, he leant back from the kisses that Ginny was peppering down his neck, and used his hands to try and undo his belt. He needed to get out of these clothes and go to sleep.

Ginny saw this as a motivator, as her kisses moved down his neck toward his torso. She sucked on his skin forming rouge marks on his skin. Harry found himself relaxing, but the persistent voice in the back of his head was telling him to stop.

The relaxation stopped suddenly, because as soon as the watch on his wrist hit midnight, the pain seared his veins and caused him to cry out.

"It hurts Ginny, it hurts" Harry cried, and Ginny stopped her seduction, instead leaning forward to make eye contact with her boyfriend.

"It's okay Harry, it's okay" Ginny ran her hand through his hair and placed a reassuring kiss on his cheek. "I'll stay with you Harry; it's going to be okay". She gently undressed Harry until he was lying in just his boxers and then pulled the blanket over his now shivering form. She curled up next to him and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"It's going to be okay"

_**A.N2: The question for this chapter is: Do you ship NevillexHannah or NevillexLuna? Obviously, as shown above I love NevillexHannah and never thought that NevillexLuna would work together. So what do you think? Let me know in a review! Love x**_


	8. Chapter 7

Kingsley Shackelbolt glanced down at the Quibbler's front page, and saw a beaming photo of Harry on the front page. Today was his birthday, and the wizarding population expected something big for his birthday. Kingsley had begged Harry to do something for the people, but he'd wanted a quiet party with his friends; so they'd compromised that Harry would release an article dictating his views on the world post war- it was his first interview since the war and it was eagerly anticipated by everyone.

**Boy Who Lived Reveals All**

**-****_an exclusive interview by Luna Lovegood_**

You know him as the boy who lived, yet I know him as Harry Potter. Harry Potter- the first boy who ever looked at me as someone other than Loony. He helped me hunt for my shoes once, and then he fed an apple to a Thestral. He was the only person who listened, even when his best friend told him that I was crazy.

That's the Harry Potter that I know, and the Harry Potter that I'm going to try and tell you about today. I was a year younger than Harry at Hogwarts, and we were in different houses; but he still changed things for me. The year that High Inquisitor Umbridge was Defence Professor, Harry Potter created a student organisation called Dumbledore's Army and that's what Harry calls his best achievement so far. When asked about the group, Mr Potter opened up for the first time in the interview.

"Dumbledore's Army was something that Hermione came up with, but to date it's my highlight. We were the catalyst for student's believing that they could make a difference. The DA were willing to stand with me and fight with me, and I owe them just as much as they owe me. Uh, Luna don't write that"

I know Harry Potter quite well, or at least I think I do, and the reason he tried to retract that statement is that he doesn't want anyone to think that they should owe him. He was born the boy-who-lived, and he was only doing what he felt he needed to do. That doesn't make Harry Potter any less the hero that we know he is.

Harry is a hero, and it would be nice to say that the war has not changed him, but it has. The war changed everyone, yet Harry is trying to stay focused on the future.

"Getting my mark is going to change my personal life, but I also want to change the life of others." The boy-who-lived said "I wanted to be an auror, yet with the war I'm not sure what I want to do."

Unfortunately, or fortunately for some, my chat with Harry was hijacked by Mr Draco Malfoy. A cynical ex-death eater who has apparently turned good yet he was more than willing to interrupt what was supposed to be a private conversation. This reporter has not quiet managed to understand why he was here, yet he created some dynamicism.

"So you've completely given up on what you wanted to do, simply because you've already vanquished one dark lord. That's a bit selfish isn't it Potter?"

Harry's eyes flashed in irritation at the blonde's interruption but chose not to snap back, instead using the calm voice that shows how powerful he really is. Personally I think that's due to an infestation of Jubblors, and this reporter did take the time to suggest to him that a course of honey monkshood potion would cure that but I believe he didn't want to take that advice.

"Malfoy, maybe you could take over and actually save some lives this time. Anyway Luna, so I'm planning on going back to Hogwarts in September, now that the place has been made safe and secure post war, and continuing my education there."

"Harry, do you think that your mark is going to open you up for the Head Boy status?"

Draco obviously didn't find that amusing; that or he'd been infected by the Jubblors as well. The laughter echoed across the bar causing sceptical glances to be sent our way. Casting privacy charms weren't enough.

"Potter? Head boy?! Hogwarts gives a head boy and head girl position to a Dom and a sub. Granger is definitely better head girl material."

It was clear the tone in Mr Malfoy's voice was one of jealousy, and one that I knew was not uncommon to Mr Malfoy. Ever since I've known Mr Potter, he had told me stories of Mr Malfoy's underhanded strategies that were aimed at creating havoc. Chaos and Havoc was Mr Malfoy's middle name, after all.

"Harry, this is your interview" I'd tried to keep the interview on track, rather than letting Draco run it off track.

"I thought I'd focus more on maintaining my old spot as Quidditch Captain, rather than focusing on Head-boy. After all, Dumbledore didn't want me as prefect."

"But Dumbledore is dead Harry- you were there- you saw it happen"

Harry's eyes flared and I knew I made a mistake. Obviously the Jubblors had begun to infect me, so I knew this interview could not last much longer. I told Harry that he would make an excellent Head Boy, and had to listen to the scoffs that echoed around the booth. I tried to redirect the conversation back to what the world wanted to know.

"What are you doing for your birthday Harry? I know a lot of people wanted to give you presents to celebrate your heroism"

"I'm just having a small party with my friends, but if people really want to get me presents then you can donate to a fund that the ministry and I are putting together to help the orphans of the war. More information can be found by contacting Mr Arthur Weasley at the Ministry"

"That's Ginny's dad right?" I asked, and mentioned to Harry about the countless letters that the readers had sent to us about wanting Harry to be their dominant and wanting to date him.

"Yeah Ginny and I are going well so far and it should be good. I don't think my marking is going to change anything. I don't want it to change anything…"

A loud pop interrupted Kingsley's reading and he looked up suddenly. There weren't many people that knew his personal house address and those that did wouldn't be apparating in this early in the morning. He saw Harry's emerald eyes flash with anger whilst standing in front of him, his jet black hair tousled and his muscles having slight tremors. He looked mad, furious.

"Good Morning Harry" Kinsgley began, but was interrupted with Harry's cutting tone as he held up his wrist and exclaimed with anger.

"What the Hell is this?"

**A.N: Now Two points in this authors note. 1. I'm so sorry there was a delay. I went on a two week holiday and only got back today, and when I got back I found a virus on my computer that had wiped all my files. *waah*. Lucky for me I had everything backed up except the fanfic was only updated up to chapter 6. This means that I lost 4 chapters of writing and I had to write post haste to try and get something to you guys. So you get this chapter. It's not great, hell it's not even good but it should tide you over till next Monday. **

**2. Some people have said that the characters are a bit ooc. I'd like to say firstly, thank-you for the feedback but also that this story is AU. Some OOC ness is necessary for the current plot points but that will be further explained later. It is important, I promise you. **

**I hope you enjoy it, and I apologise profusely for this chapter. Please review- they keep me inspired. **

**~ Herm1on3 x**


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